Wednesday, 21 March 2012

WHB Cauliflower Risotto and how to avoid dinner

I was intrigued by Mel's Cauliflower Risotto. I quite like cooking risotto with vegetables in it but have never pureed vegies to stir through a risotto. Having used cauliflower to make a creamy pasta sauce last year, this idea made sense. Finding the right moment for risotto was not easy. One night the arborio rice was infested and another I was just too tired. I had to wait until the stars aligned.

Finally I had an evening with fresh basil from my mum's garden and white wine that E wouldn't touch with a barge pole. All I needed was rice. Sylvia helpfully stepped in and suggested her bike ride head to the shops. Usually we just go around the block or to the park when Sylvia is riding her bike. I am still getting used to kiddie bike etiquette. I always lock my bike with a D lock. Do I lock Sylvia's bike? Do people steal kids bikes? We parked her bike by the check-outs with Georgie Pig hiding under a (clean) handkerchief in the basket. I think I will get a little lock for Sylvia's bike.

It has been some time since I made risotto. I remembered why as I stirred the rice soaking up the stock. Risotto is not forgiving of busy people. It is hard to run around after a small child while trying to frequently stir, keep feeding the rice with stock and stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

The risotto wasn't a quick dish. When dinner is taking me some time to make, I give Sylvia a plate of vegies, beans and cheese to eat while I cook. Unfortunately there are many things she would prefer to do rather than eat dinner. For example:

punching holes in an apple with a straw,

cleaning the path outside our house with a piece of toilet paper,

setting up walls and a door of her house using a pink ribbon, and

making spectacles out of erasers and paperclips.

Of course if Sylvia would only try the risotto maybe she wouldn't want to avoid dinner. E loved it. He told me so quite a few times. I had expected it to taste more of cauliflower but I think it was sacrificed for the texture. It was deliciously creamy. I served it with tofu bacon because when I first saw Mel's photo I was sure that was what she had used. (In fact she served hers with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.)

The risotto needed slightly more seasoning but nothing that a drop or two of Worcestershire sauce couldn't fix. We wondered if lemon juice would work well. However, as I have learnt the hard way, it is far harder to taste the seasoning of a dish that is just taken off the boil. The risotto definitely benefited from cooling slightly before serving.

Simmer cauliflower with a pinch of salt in a small amount of water (I think my cauliflower was almost covered by the water) in a small saucepan for about 15 minutes or until it is soft. Once cooked, drain and keep the cooking water. Return cooked cauliflower florets and 1/2 a cup of cooking water (or make up that much if you don't have that much) to saucepan with 1/4 tsp stock powder and blend with hand held blender (or use a blender if that is your thing). Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Fry onions for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Add rice and stir for a few minutes until grains well coated and starting to cook (the grains start to look translucent around the edges with a white centre).

While the onions and rice are cooking, bring a kettle of water to the boil. (Or instead of this and adding stock powder you could heat stock on a saucepan if you preferred but I find using a kettle of boiling water easier). Add the wine, stock powder and salt (maybe even more salt) to the onion and rice mixture and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of boiling water at a time, stirring frequently and adding more when most of the water is absorbed. I used about 6 cups of water.

Add cauliflower and basil. Stir for a few more minutes - just enough to heat up. Check seasoning. Cool slightly if you have time before serving. Serve with a generous sprinkle of tofu bacon bits for textural contrast, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce if desired and scatter with basil leaves for colour and freshness.

Thanks Joanne - you sound like the voice of experience with kids bikes - I've had very little to do with them recently - but in the town where I grew up I don't think we would have heard of locking up our bikes

That sounds really lovely. I love risotto, but it is a pain to stir all the time. I often put veggies in the risotto and then add them at the end too - grated courgette plus fried at the end, or pureed squash and roasted squash at the end. The pureed squash turns it a lovely colour! I like the idea of the tofu bacon to add texture and protein too.

Thanks C - it is a pain to stir risotto when you have other things going on - I have thought of looking out a baked risotto recipe - I like the idea of adding veg in two ways - probably some fried cauli florets at the end would be great - maybe even fried with the tofu bacon

I am intrigued by this risotto and remember noting it on Mel's blog too. I have wondered if I would like the 'creaminess', given my cheese dislike, but there is of course only one way to find out. I did smile at your mistaken belief that tofu bacon was included in Mel's verison - perhaps a subconscious desire to just make sure that tofu bacon made it into yours? ;)

Thanks Kari - I am not really into creamy dishes and yet I love the creaminess of risotto - it is is not the heavy cheesy creaminess but just a nice texture that works with the rice!

My mistake in thinking Mel's risotto had tofu bacon amused me too. I think I would like to try the sun dried tomatoes that mel used but maybe not the olives but I have since realised that Mel has used tofu bacon in both cauli soup and cauli pasta so maybe this is also why I made the mistake when I saw it

I'm so glad that you and also E enjoyed this! I love the idea of topping it with tofu bacon, I'll definitely give it a try next time I make it. Risotto can be a bit of a chore to prepare, it's not something I make often as my young man doesn't like it much.

Thanks Mel - both E and I love risotto - every now and again he suggests it when I am lacking in ideas - I think it becomes even more of a treat because I don't make it so often - but sylvia still doesn't like it - though I hope she might come around

Thanks Hannah - I love pumpkin risotto but always chuck in chunks of uncooked pumpkin and by the end a lot have dissolved into the risotto but some are in chunks still - never tried it with a puree but sounds intersting

What a brilliant idea! I love cauliflower, and adding it to the risotto sounds delicious. And certainly makes the dish look lovely! Now if only I could get the HH to clean our driveway with toilet paper. . . !! :D

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Recipes and reflections in which our vegetarian heroine dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe; being a goddess in the kitchen; and being gladdened by green gadgets, green food and green politics because green is the colour of hope. See About Me for more info.